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Record: 2-0
I played the Tulsa/NT over at 60 last week, but I recommended it as high as 66. Didn't matter as the game finished at 82 points.
This week there are slimmer pickings, but I think I've found one that I like, so what the heck.
Tulane +12.5
Tulane has only played one game this year, it was a 20-6 loss to Alabama as a 29-point underdog. Not bad, but there are lots of ways to get to a 20-6 final and not all of them bode well for Tulane. So let's take a look at the stats:
Tulane = 18 first downs, Alabama = 11 first downs
Tulane = 318 total yards, Alabama = 172 total yards
Tulane = 0 offensive TDs, Alabama = 0 offensive TDs
That looks like a pretty close game in my mind that Tulane would have had a chance to win without the special teams mistakes and drives that stalled at the Alabama 4-yard line, 6-yard line, 18-yard line, 23-yard line, and 30-yard line resulting in a grand total of 6 points.
Meanwhile, I don't need to tell you about what East Carolina has done the past 2 weeks. But how much will a letdown play a factor in this game? I think it will be huge. Week 1 they beat Virginia Tech in Charlotte in front of over 72,000 fans. Week 2 they beat West Virginia at home in front of a sellout crowd of over 43,000. Week 3? A virtually empty Superdome with maybe 15,000 people total. With no more of the "no respect" card left to be played, how does Skip Holtz get this team emotionally ready for this game?
In the end, I think ECU comes out ahead in a defensive struggle, but this will be an ugly game for sure. I'll go with East Carolina 21-Tulane 17
I played the Tulsa/NT over at 60 last week, but I recommended it as high as 66. Didn't matter as the game finished at 82 points.
This week there are slimmer pickings, but I think I've found one that I like, so what the heck.
Tulane +12.5
Tulane has only played one game this year, it was a 20-6 loss to Alabama as a 29-point underdog. Not bad, but there are lots of ways to get to a 20-6 final and not all of them bode well for Tulane. So let's take a look at the stats:
Tulane = 18 first downs, Alabama = 11 first downs
Tulane = 318 total yards, Alabama = 172 total yards
Tulane = 0 offensive TDs, Alabama = 0 offensive TDs
That looks like a pretty close game in my mind that Tulane would have had a chance to win without the special teams mistakes and drives that stalled at the Alabama 4-yard line, 6-yard line, 18-yard line, 23-yard line, and 30-yard line resulting in a grand total of 6 points.
Meanwhile, I don't need to tell you about what East Carolina has done the past 2 weeks. But how much will a letdown play a factor in this game? I think it will be huge. Week 1 they beat Virginia Tech in Charlotte in front of over 72,000 fans. Week 2 they beat West Virginia at home in front of a sellout crowd of over 43,000. Week 3? A virtually empty Superdome with maybe 15,000 people total. With no more of the "no respect" card left to be played, how does Skip Holtz get this team emotionally ready for this game?
In the end, I think ECU comes out ahead in a defensive struggle, but this will be an ugly game for sure. I'll go with East Carolina 21-Tulane 17
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